This un-ergonomic situation has persisted to the present day, even though modern, programmable keyboards on personal computers render need for "Qwerty" obsolete, and in almost every other industry consumers are being given a wealth of choices.
At the turn of the century we were just getting started with the WWW on Stelex, so there isn't a lot of Dvorak info on any of our web pages at this time. However if the topic or idea of efficient keyboarding interests you, there are one or two things you may want to do:
(1) Read about it on the WWW.
Simply use "dvorak keyboard" as your keywords, in
search engines like Yahoo, HotBot,
Northern Light and
Alta Vista etc. 
One "action"-oriented page you may like is
by Sander Rubin. Find it at
www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~sander/mensa/dvorak1.html
(2) Check out the BBS (computer bulletin board
system) - currently down (November 2002)
You may try the BBS out either in local mode, by downloading a
copy of the software (from these pages,
from CompuServe itself, or from an existing BBS) or you can call an existing
BBS yourself, thereby being in "remote" mode. Almost any terminal program will
work as a remote client. PCPN servers provide Commodore support in
remote mode, although you'll need an IBM-compatible box to actually run the
software in local mode.
A sample Dvorak module was included in the PC-PunterNet host
software that the system runs on. PC-PunterNet is a 1990s BBS program which,
while not Y2K-compatible, was still up and running well into the year 2002.
(It is currently down.)
On the copy of PCPN which we're running, no special terminal is required to
temporarily try out the simplified arrangement of the computer keys,
from almost any terminal. The system is called "The New Stelex Sector BBS"
and it operates in Toronto, Canada. There are other bulletin boards in
Ohio and Florida, as mentioned in the short list at the bottom of this
page. Unfortunately bulletin boards are like web pages and they tend to come
and go at random.
Around 1999-2000 there were a few Java applets floating around
which allowed WWW users to try Dvorak in local mode, provided that your
browser supported Java. The BBS module is much simpler, but in its absence
you may want to give the Java a try.Some
numbers to try, nationally, are:
The New Stelex Sector -- temporarily unavailable
The 7.5 Alive BBS, Englewood Florida (941) 473-2527.
-- this board is down
C.U.G.O.S. BBS, Owen Sound, Ontario
-- board is down
K.E.B. BBS, Winnipeg, Manitoba
-- board is down
Central Ohio Commodore User's Group BBS, Columbus Ohio
-- board is down
The PSI-WordPro BBS - historically available most evenings and weekends
at (905) 896-1446 at 14.4 kbps down to 300 bps, PSI is now down. Operating
since 1981, PSI had previously been the oldest BBS in Toronto.
The above systems ran the PCPN software, and they thus allowed a
trial of the Dvorak keyboard, from any terminal.
In terms of documentation for all of this, a smartly-typeset user guide has historically been available.
For a copy of the pages that cover the Dvorak keyboard write to TNSS, c/o General
Delivery, Postal Station "A", Toronto, Canada M5W 1P6.
(3) Your third option is to order a copy of Randy
Cassingham's concise book,
"The Dvorak Keyboard".
(4) Windows and DOS users: Microsoft made a patch available for MS-DOS
version 5+. Windows users (Windows 3.x or Windows 95, Windows 98 etc.) on the
other hand may easily change their keyboard from within the control panel
options menu. Under "keyboard" and "Languages/Properties" in Windows you'll see a choice
for "United States Dvorak". Give it a try, as you can always go back to the
original "United States" layout with but a click of the mouse. Note that some
users may have to retrieve their Windows master disk(s) or CD-ROM in order to
make the change to Dvorak... also, you will need to open up Notepad or another
wordprocessor in order to test the Dvorak layout. For these reasons,
connecting to a BBS which already runs Dvorak or using a Java applet may be a
simpler solution, again if all you want to do is try the simplified
arrangement of the keyboard for a few minutes.
Note: We've had a bit of trouble of recent when enabling Dvorak under
"Windows XP Home Edition".
Your results may vary.
(5) Some instruction programs like Mavis Beacon Teaches
Typing supported the use of the Dvorak arrangement, although their
earlier DOS, Windows, Mac and Amiga versions are likely no longer available.
Word is that the latest, late-1990s versions of Mavis did not include
the Dvorak although we're not sure. Searches of the web pages at
www.mavisbeacon.com as recently as
November 2002 were inconclusive.
Temporary end of file.
Last updated November 15, 2002.Additional
bibliographical content to be added. Before that, October 9, 2000.
For more general information call the Stelex voice or send e-mail to
Stelex
or try the BBS itself (temporarily down).Questions about Dvorak?
See Randy
Cassingham's page on the subject or send E-Mail
to The New Stelex Sector.
As mentioned, TNSS carries Randy's book "The Dvorak Keyboard" and we'll ship
it anywhere for $9.
Book order form -- to be
posted
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